About The Catalog
The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is an open access digital database of visual artwork inspired by the Book of Mormon, from the earliest 19th-century images to the present. It is intended to be comprehensive, bringing together for the first time Book of Mormon art from a range of public and private collections, museums, and the collections of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including some artwork that is not posted elsewhere. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is directed by Jennifer Champoux and made possible by generous support from the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University.
It is our hope that this database will allow for further scholarship on Book of Mormon art, new opportunities for artists to reach a broader audience and to engage with each other and with the art that has come before, and increased ability for members of the Church and other interested individuals to access and utilize a greater variety of visual sources for devotional purposes. We believe that an on-going gathering of Book of Mormon imagery in a central location can inspire new and varied artistic production, including scenes currently underrepresented in the art. Visual art has a powerful impact on how individuals think about scripture stories, doctrine, and history. Expanding the catalog of artistic depictions of the Book of Mormon can allow for a broader range of interpretations and can illuminate new meaning in the minds of viewers.
What’s In The Catalog
Catalog entries for each artwork are annotated with information including artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, location, copyright, topic, scripture reference, figures, symbols, artist’s information, Church media use, exhibition history, awards, and relevant literature. Sources include the Church History Museum Collection, online exhibitions by the Church (including the International Art Competitions), Church magazines and manuals, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Springville Museum of Art, Book of Mormon Central Art Contest online exhibitions, artist studios, commercial art galleries, and private collections.
We have attempted to include all known images of Book of Mormon content, with no judgment or exclusion based on their style, interpretive approach, or skill. Images included in this database do not necessarily represent the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of the Book of Mormon Art Catalog.
Meet Our Team
Director
Jennifer Champoux
Director
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Jennifer Champoux
Director
Jennifer Champoux is a scholar of Latter-day Saint visual art and a co-editor of Approaching the Tree: Interpreting 1 Nephi 8 (Neal A. Maxwell Institute). She has taught art history as adjunct faculty at Northeastern University, Emerson College, Emmanuel College, and Colorado Community Colleges Online. She holds an MA in art history from Boston University and a BA in international politics from Brigham Young University. Her scholarship on religious art has been published in several journals. She is the past vice president of Mormon Scholars in the Humanities, a founding board member of Colorado Faith Forums, and is currently writing a book on pioneer artist C. C. A Christensen for the Introductions to Mormon Thought series published by the University of Illinois Press. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three children.Student Research Assistants
Noelle Baer
Research Assistant
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Noelle Baer
Research Assistant
2022
Noelle Baer served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile where she began to develop her deep love for the Book of Mormon. Between earning an art history degree at Brigham Young University and burying herself in the Special Collections items at the library, she also enjoys learning about people and experiencing diverse cultures by traveling locally and abroad. Noelle is especially interested in Mesoamerican art and codices as well as medieval manuscripts. With a Minor in Spanish, she is eager to cultivate international relationships through art.
Kelsey Barton
Research Assistant
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Kelsey Barton
Research Assistant
2024
Kelsey Barton, is a junior in art history at BYU. She loves to read, paint, be outside and spend time with family and friends.
Candace Brown
Research Assistant
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Candace Brown
Research Assistant
2021-2023
Candace Brown is a senior studying art history and curatorial studies at Brigham Young University. She has interned at the Springville Museum of Art as well as the BYU Museum of Art and is passionate about art’s power to connect individuals and communities to the Divine. When not looking at art, she loves to read and spend time with her nephews.
Elizabeth Finlayson
Research Assistant
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Elizabeth Finlayson
Research Assistant
2021-2023
Elizabeth Finlayson is an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University studying art history and curatorial studies. She loves spending her spare time in art museums and is currently a curatorial intern at BYU’s Museum of Art. Outside of work and school, Elizabeth loves music, design, and the outdoors.
Emma Belnap
Research Assistant
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Emma Belnap
Research Assistant
2022-2023
Emma Belnap is a junior studying art history and curatorial studies at Brigham Young University. After graduating, Emma plans to pursue her PhD in art history and to work in the academic field. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, she enjoys reading, running, going to museums, and learning about new people and cultures.
Aliza Keller
Research Assistant
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Aliza Keller
Research Assistant
2022-2023
Aliza Keller is an undergraduate studying art education and art history at Brigham Young University. Her love of both art and the Book of Mormon began at a young age, and she does everything she can to incorporate each into her life. She is currently working at the BYU Museum of Art and is progressing towards earning a teaching license with which she hopes to teach art and art history in middle schools.
Lucy Lacanienta
Research Assistant
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Lucy Lacanienta
Research Assistant
2023-2024
Lucy Lacanienta is a student at Brigham Young University pursuing her undergraduate degree in art history and curatorial studies. She loves her studies, particularly those relating to Christianity and Christian art, and believes that art can aid an individual’s pursuit of faith through the powerful combination of image and word. Beyond art, she loves rock climbing, painting, and traveling.
Lauryn Platt
Research Assistant
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Lauryn Platt
Research Assistant
2024
Lauryn Platt is a student at Brigham Young University studying art history and curatorial studies with a minor in communications. She loves how art teaches and provides deeper understanding into the human experience. When she is not studying or working, she loves to spend time with her husband and family, be outside, travel, and spend time with her friends.
Grace Truett
Research Assistant
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Grace Truett
Research Assistant
2024
Grace Truett is studying art history and curatorial studies at Brigham Young University with minors in Global Studies and Music. She plans to pursue graduate school. Grace is passionate about mixing the spiritual with the secular, especially within art, and appreciates those who are engaged in the same cause. She enjoys reading, traveling, playing piano, and looking at art always.
Landon Wilson
Research Assistant
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Landon Wilson
Research Assistant
2024
Landon Wilson is an art history student at Brigham Young University. He plans to pursue an academic career in art history and hopes to become a professor in that field. His research interests include syncretic relationships between religions, Spain and its colonies, and medieval art. He enjoys hiking, camping, painting, and carpentry.
Lucy Anderson
Research Assistant
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Lucy Anderson
Research Assistant
2024
Lucy Anderson is a student at Brigham Young University studying Art History and Curatorial Studies. She finds art enriching as it expands her world view and deepens her understanding of the human psyche. Outside of her passion for art, Lucy finds joy in travelling, hitting the slopes for skiing adventures, and indulging in the art of baking desserts.Definition Of Art Terms
Visual arts are defined here as including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textile, ceramic, carving, pottery, photography, computer graphics, installation, video and film, and mixed media.
For purposes of this database, an artwork’s style is categorized according to the following definitions. Quoted definitions are from Mark Getlein, Living with Art 11 ed, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016), 549-553.
Figurative:
“Descriptive of a work of art that depicts forms in the natural world.” Used here in a broad sense of representational art that depicts objects found in the real world. May or may not include human figures.
Abstract:
“Descriptive of art in which the forms of the visual world are purposefully simplified, fragmented, or otherwise distorted.”
Nonrepresentational:
“Descriptive of art that does not represent or otherwise refer to the visible world outside itself.”
Installation:
“An art form in which an entire room or similar space is treated as a work of art to be entered and experienced.”
Performance:
“An event or action carried out by an artist and offered as art.”
Folk:
Art that draws on traditional or regional styles, materials, or craftsmanship.
Citing This Website
Citation for Bibliographies
The Book of Mormon Art Catalog http://bookofmormonartcatalog.org/.
Citing Individual Artworks
[Caption of Artwork], The Book of Mormon Art Catalog, accessed [date], [URL].